Reinforcement for pneumatic tires.



F. s. BRYANT. REINFORCEMENT FOR PNEUMATIG TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, l916. I

I Patented Apr. 1?, 1917.

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n; Iran-"r, or nucleus, massacrrcsnrrsf ORJElElEEHT Ffslt PNEUMATIC TIRES. a i

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patent-ed Apr, it,

application filed March 18, 1916. Serial No. 35,186,

.Ib'aZZ whom may concern:

*Be it known um I, l RlSDRiCK S. a citizen or the Uinted States, residi- Reading, in the county of Middleseit and State o'f hfassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reiriforcements for Pneumatic lires, of which the following is a specitiorion:

ljlllS lIlVQi'l'tlOll relates to a rcinforcemeat, such as a patch Oran interlining, interposed between the inflated inner tube and the tire shoe-or carcass of a pneumatic tire reinforcementis usually a flexible strip formed to be Wrapped around the inner tube with one edge overlapping the other and corering only a part of the circumference of the' tube when formed as a patch, and the entire circumference uhenformed as an, interhnmg 'lThe material of;--the reinforce mcnt s usually textile i'abric'isuch as duck,two orniore layers being usually em ployed, and the layers being frictioned and united by yulcanization.

lit has been found that the outer surface of areinforcement of this character in direct contact, as heretofore, with the inner surface of the shoe, creeps and chafes on said inner surface, so that there is an ob1ect1onable wear of both surfaces, and the tempera ture of botlrthe reinforcement and shoe is materially increased lthappens theref that the reinforcement is often worn away, andlts rubber content 1s disintegrated unt1lin the inner tube, and may bulge to such an extent as to permit the corresponding portion of the inner tube to bulge into the f acture, said tube portion being therefore liable to be cut by the Walls of the fracture acting through the intermediate portion of the reinforce,

My invent-ion has for its ob icct to provide a reinforcement which is free from the above mentioned objections.

The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

()f the accompanying drawings form ng a part of th s specification;

Figure 1 represents a side View, partly in section, of a reinforcement embodying my ion, formed as a patch; g; 2 represents a section on-line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig-3 represents a transverse section of a pneumatic tire having a reinforcement emb (lying my invention, Wrapped around the inner tube;

1 Fig. represents a View similar to 1, shoeing a modification.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

.111 the drawings, a represents the shoe or carcass, and 72 the inflated inner tube of a pneumatic tire.

My intiprored reinforce, which is formed to be wrapped around the inner tube and cover any desired extent of its circumfer 'ence, comprises a body 12 made of two or more layers of frictioned textile fabric yulcanized together and molded into a il'shape in cross section, and a spacing grid secured to the outer surface of the body,

in the embrulimcnt of the invention SW11 by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a plurality of independent rings or grid members 13, preferably of rubber which is somewhat compressible and elastic when vulcanized, constitute the suac-- grid, Said members are firmly united by vulcanization or otherwise to the body 12 to form practically inseparable parts thereof, and are preferably spaced, as shown by Ill Figs. 1 and 2, the arrangement being such.

that when thereinforcernent is interposed between the shoe a and the inflated in;

tube 9, the g; 1d members prevent contact between the body 12 and the outer and side portions of the shoe, and form numerous air spaces between the inner surface of the shoe and the outer surface of the body 12. The margins of said air spaces formed by the outer and inner edges of the grid members constitute shoulders which face in many different directions and engage the: inner surface of the shoe in such manner as to vent displacement or relative movement of the reinforce any iirectioi'i. it "Will be seen thcrciore that the body is f from chafing contact "i'th all'portions of shoe which are iiexed to any conside extent when in use. vim, the outer and i portions. Contact between, the body and the edge portions of theshoe, as shown by tionally to said inner surface when pressed outwardly against it by the air pressure in the inner tube, so that the grid is practically as immovable relatively to the shoe as it would be if vulcanized to the shoe.

I have found that this freedom of the re ;inforcem'entbo dy from chafing contact with the shoe and the airspaccs provided as described reduce the wear and temperature of the associated parts to the minimum. have also found that in case of a'blow-out in the shoe, the spacing grid preventsthe portion ofthe reinforcement body nearest the blow-out from being forced thereinto bythe air-pressure inthe inner tube, the in-- tegrityand relative stiffness of thesaid body being maintained as above described.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of spacing grid. composed of a layer 15 of rubber similar to that of which the members 13- are made, said layer being provided. with holes 16', and vulcanized to the bodyfl2.- The holes 16 form air spaces, and their margins form shoe-engaging shoulders facing in many directions. The -spacing grid does not extend to'the edges ofsthe body, the edge portions of said body projecting from the grid suiiiciently to be overlapped, as shown by Fig. 3.

It is obvious that the spacing grid may be formed in various other ways, and that the reinforcement maybe formed as a patch covering only a part of the circumference.

of the inner tube, as indicated by Fig. 1, or

as an interlining covering the entire circumference of the inner tube;

' Having described my invention, I claim? A pneumatic tire reinforcement comprising a body approximately U-shaped in cross I section, formed of frictional textile material, and having flexible overlapping edge por tions, and 'aspacing'grid of compressible elastic rubber, attached to the exterior of said bodyand provided'with means for forming a plurality of uniform air spaces of corresponding shape and depth having straight side walls, the margins of which constitute yieldable shoulders capable of.

frictional engagement with a tire shoe, said body forming'substantially flat bottom walls for said spaces. y

In testimony whereof I have atiixed my signature.

' FREDRICK S. BRYANT. 

